JD(U) MPs meet Venkaiah Naidu, seek removal of Sharad Yadav as party leader in Rajya Sabha

In what seems to be further trouble for JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, all party MPs in the Rajya Sabha, excluding Yadav and another rebel MP Ali Anwar, met Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday and submitted a letter seeking his removal as the party leader in the Upper House. However, Vashishtha Narayan of the JD(U) clarified that Yadav was not removed from the party but only replaced by RCP Singh. Narayan said that the decision was taken because of Yadav’s recent actions — hinting at his disapproval of Nitish Kumar joining hands with BJP.

He(Sharad Yadav) hasn't been removed, just replacing him with RCP Singh.Was important due to Yadav's recent actions: Vashishtha Narayan, JDU pic.twitter.com/bKtqus6zRX

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2017

Necessary step because being leader if a person indulges in anti-party activities it has to be condemned unanimously-Narayan on Sharad Yadav pic.twitter.com/bOJmhVwqJS

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2017

The latest development comes just days after Yadav expressed displeasure over the Bihar chief minister’s decision to abandon its alliance with RJD and Congress, and join hands with former ally BJP. Much to the chagrin of Yadav, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday invited the Bihar chief minister to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). “I met JD(U) president Nitish Kumar at my residence yesterday. I invited JD(U) to join the NDA,” Shah said in a tweet on Saturday. The Bihar-based party is expected to endorse the proposal to join the NDA in its national executive meeting in Patna on 19 August, after which it is likely to join the Narendra Modi cabinet. Speculations are rife that Yadav might join hands with _bete noir-_turned-ally Lalu Prasad, by either splitting JD(U) or forming his own party. Significantly, Sonia Gandhi also invited Yadav for an Opposition meeting on Friday, which was attended by rebel MP Ali Anwar. 

I sent him(Ali Anwar) there. Bihar-like grand alliance must be replicated countrywide, that is why he went there: Sharad Yadav on Oppn Meet pic.twitter.com/y2R59W3UcR

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2017

On Thursday , Yadav had claimed that the original party is with him as he termed Nitish’s decision to join hands with the BJP as “betrayal of the people’s mandate”. “The trust of 11 crore people who gave mandate to form the grand alliance government in Bihar was broken,” Yadav had told reporters at the airport on his first trip to Bihar since the end of the grand alliance. [caption id=“attachment_3922427” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav. PTI[/caption] “The agreement of ‘gathbandhan’ (grand alliance) was for five years which was broken…I am hurt by this. I continue to stand for the ‘gathbandhan’,” he had said. Yadav had said the grand alliance and the BJP had come out with different manifestos for the Assembly election. Miffed with Nitish, Yadav, is on a three-day tour to Bihar to hold “direct dialogue” with the people. RJD supporters were, however, seen in large numbers receiving him at Patna airport as well as during his tour, indicating Lalu Prasad’s wholehearted support to him. Asked whether his trip amounted to “anti-party activity”, Yadav, who is the leader of the party in the Upper House, had said, “I do not want to make any comment.” At a function at Sonepur, Yadav had said, “Sarkari JD(U) is with Nitish Kumar while the original party is with me. The original JD(U) in association with secular forces would form a government after next general election.” RJD MLA from Sonepur Ramanuj Prasad had shared platform with Yadav at the function. RJD supporters in large numbers along with some JD(U) workers had accorded reception to Yadav at Ramashish Chowk, Anjanpeer chowk in Hajipur in Vaishali district. Asked about the presence of RJD workers in his tour programme, Yadav had justified it, saying they are part of the ‘Gatbandhan’ of which he is a part. With inputs from PTI